Ride Or Die - A Manourge Fic
by SugarySweetSprites
Summary: Manic's life has gone to crap. With the theft of a nostalgic pendant, everything in his life seems to have gone for the worse. And then another mean, green hedgehog came into his life...
1. Prologue

When you've spent your whole life in snobby, upper-crust houses, working snobby, upper-crust jobs, and spending your time with fellow snobby, upper-crust snobs, "OOOOOOOOOH DAAAAAMN" is more or less the last thing you'd want to hear some guy yell at you.

Bartleby scrunched his nose. _This is no way to act in my store...!_ He thought. He put on his customer service grin while he spun around to face whoever entered. "Good morning, sir. How may we..."

Incredible. Simply incredible. Out of all the people in this city, who could have possible came into his own gorgeous jewelry store, it had to be Manic. "What's uuup, Bartleby?!" He said, striding up to the counter.

Everything in the store was as snooty as you'd expect. Elegant jewels on velvet cushions in wide glass cases. Marble floors and countertops. Even the employees were somehow all some pastel shade, in subtle, tailored outfits.

Saying Manic looked out of place wouldn't describe just how striking he was in this overly elegant building. He didn't look like he had ever gotten his quills trimmed, as they jutted out in many, many angles, most of which seemed impossible, or at least impractical. The only accessories were some two dollar earrings and a drum-shaped pendant way too big to be anything other than horribly tacky. But more than anything, in this all white and pastel jewelry store, a neon lime green punk in a poorly-fitted, bright red jacket and jet black jeans didn't exactly seem welcome. Not that he noticed.

Bartleby at least pretended to try and be professional. His smile went a little more plastic when he spoke, but hey, he tried. "It's nice to see you, Manic," he lied. "Is this about your sister...?"

"Shooooot, I keep forgetting!" He yelled again. "That letter's somewhere in my car, I think. Ooooooh no! I'll give that to Sonia soon, I promise!"

Bartleby leaned in closer. He had lost any hope of this conversation going anywhere good, and grinned the most fake, passive-aggressive grin he could manage. "Then why are you hear, dear customer?"

"RIIGHT, so like, Sonia came to you to get these things all painted in silver, right?" He took off his pendant, handing it over.

"Plated. Silver plated. And yes, that was your sister's request." He said, holding the pendant up. It looked kind of tarnished, but that wasn't his fault. It was evenly coated when he handed it back to him.

"So I was messing with my car, and it kind of fell into the hood..."

The mink looked at the other side of the pendant, and winced. Every inch of the other side was covered in huge, ugly scratches. He clearly tried to clean oil out of it, but not very well. All the hard work some other guy in the back put into fixing this thing... ruined!

"Could you cover it in some more? Just slop a bit on like peanut butter, cover up the oil. It'll be fiiiiine."

The clerk turned back to face Manic. As this point, he was passed trying to be polite or helpful to this kid. "Unfortunately, we can only provide... trusted customers with later billing. If you want us to do this again for you, we're going to have to ask you to pay in advance."

"I understand. Don't worry, I've got it." Manic pulled out his wallet, not even a little offended. "Yeah, I don't really know how jewelry places and things work, so I got some money now. Dooon't worry about it."

The front doors burst open again, forcing everyone's attention to the front of the store. Bartleby gasped at the four new visitors. Four very, very poorly dressed animals walked in. The genders were ambiguous on most of them. Whoever they were, they all wore the same things - these hideous sweaters and unfortunate pants in neon yellow, splashed in similarly bright shades of orange, green, and pink. Their eyes were covered by bright yellow sunglasses, the same ugly color as their clothes. Their... quills? Hair? It was hard to tell. Whatever it was was covered in some kind of pink hairspray... or something of that sort.

Manic turned to face the clerk. "Hey, there's nothing to worry about. They're just poorly dressed and kind of ugly."

They were clearly not just poorly dressed and kind of ugly, as they also carried handguns with them.

Two animals near the front of the group walked up to the counter Manic was at. The two others walked to another clerk managing the back of the store. "You know why we're here. You've heard of us, right? That little group called Plague Reflux? So why don't we make this nice and easy?" Said one of the animals, clearly a man speaking in a really bad vocal fry. "Give us some presents, and we won't hurt you or your boyfriend."

He nudged at his partner, who gave the clerk a neon pink bag, clearly sewn out of the same cheap material. "Don't forget the register." Now THAT'S how you hide your voice. That was either a dude in falsetto or a girl talking really low. At least that actually hid their identity! Bartleby was quick to agree, and cautiously grabbed the bag. As the partner watched the clerk empty the cases, the male thief turned to face Manic. His hair/quills were brushed straight down. He held his hand limply towards Manic.

"We don't want any more charges than we've got. Don't be a hero, and we'll all be happy." He didn't actually sound threatening. Why, if there wasn't a gun or armed robbery involved, that would almost sound polite!

Manic was used to this kind of thing. Not being held at gunpoint specifically, just getting himself into horrible situations far beyond his control. Finding himself stranded in the middle of nowhere without his phone, tumbling headfirst down many floors worth of stairs at a public beach, being the prime suspect in a murder, all that hoopla. He had been in enough horrible situations to know how to handle himself. More importantly, he knew how to speak with very dangerous people.

"Dude, nice calves."

It wasn't a good way, but it was definitely a way of talking to them.

Still, that wasn't what they expected or wanted to hear. It isn't that he way lying, the thief did have lovely legs - as did all of the animals in the horrible outfits. The one really tall bird guy holding up the register even had a great set of arms to match! But that's not exactly what you want to hear when you're holding someone at gunpoint.

"I mean it!"

The thief gave the hedgehog a very confused glare. Manic shrugged much more casually than he had any right to. "...You think this kid's alright?"

"H-he most d-d-d-definitely isn't-" Bartleby stuttered out

The thief at the counter laughed and grinned at him. "I don't think we asked you, yellow. Hurry it up." they said in a saccharine voice.

The two thieves near the back took the bag back from the clerk at the back, and walked up to their partners. "You almost done up here?" Okay, that girl was at least trying to sound different. Maybe to an untrained ear, she might have sounded male, but she was barely missing that certain something. "Hurry up, and we'll be out of your way." This only made Bartleby fumble around more, but after a few moments, the rest of the displays had been emptied into those hideous pink bags. The female thief took it back. "The guy in the back got us twice as many pieces in half the time. Step it up."

And with that, all four thieves left barely a few minutes after they arrived. The employees were completely frozen for a few seconds, but that was enough time for the thieves to get out of sight. Bartleby looked at Manic once more. "Calves?"

"He had some good legs."

The clerk sneered, and started dialing the police. Manic walked up to him, and patted him on the shoulder. "Dude, that really sucks. Like, it REALLY sucks."

"Do you mind?!"

"Dude, I don't know what jewelry's like to you, but that's gotta suck."

"You should know what it's like!" Bartleby yelled. "They took YOUR pendant too!"

"Eh?" For once, Manic was caught off guard.

"Of course they did! They took everything! Were their legs so distracting?!" Manic looked all around the case, the counters. Sure enough, his pendant was nowhere to be seen. It wasn't even that valuable! He grasped at his chest, where the pendant would usually hang. He had that necklace for so long, it was like a part of him at this point. Ever since the start of his band...! He couldn't lose that! There must have been a mistake, right? But despite what he wanted to think, his lucky pendant was in a bright pink bag, with four garish thieves, driving out of the city, and pretty soon, out of the state. Manic responded the only way he knew how.

With a slightly disappointed, "Ooooooooooh..."


	2. Chapter One

The city of Mobotropolis was the idyllic kind of city every country strives to have. Modern skyscrapers, decades old architecture, and quaint little stores and cafes all existed in harmony with one another, filling the city with many clashing aesthetics and countless opportunities. Daytime was colored by a cloudless sun and the bustling residents, and nighttime was painted with neon signs and grand parties. Streets were clean, new stores and opportunities were always on their way... As far as cities go, Mobotropolis was virtually perfect.

This does not take place in the prettier parts of Mobotropolis.

Scourge and Fiona drove down a rougher part of the city. Not a terrible place to live - Residents took care of their houses alright, and many small businesses gave the area plenty of personality. But this is the part of town that street sweepers and city planning always seemed to look over. No matter what the residents tried to do, it would always end up filthy again, whether they like it or not. The car ride through the area was very long and very loud. They sped past so quickly, no one standing by the road could hear more than a few words of what they were yelling about, until they abruptly stopped in front of a small grocery store.

"Get out."

Fiona looked straight ahead, avoiding Scourge's stare. With bright red fur and dark red hair, she'd be striking enough on her own. But everything she wore was just as eye catching. Bright yellow hair bow half the size of her head. Gold colored halter top. Black choker. Black pants. And - would you believe it? - Black shoes. Everything about her stance, her appearance, and her voice implied total, consuming fury, barely being contained.

Scourge didn't balk at her request. "Keep driving." He spat out. He didn't look nearly as eye-searingly bright as Fiona, but he was striking in his own way. Normally, he'd be pretty plain as far as appearances go. Dark green quills, blue jeans, ratty shoes that he's clearly had for too long, very much what you'd expect. But his chest was covered with an old but well-loved leather jacket, complete with flashy and really pretty ugly flame patches on the shoulders.

But weirdest of all was his eyes. Oh, his eyes themselves were pretty plain - a really close shade of green to his clothes. But this punk, this violent guy in a leather jacket, was wearing eyeshadow. Bright red eyeshadow and light mascara. It wasn't sloppily applied or worn begrudgingly. No, to Scourge, a guy wearing makeup was completely passable. Not that he was particularly feminine to begin with.

"I said get OUT!" She screamed this time. Scourge only faced her, more angry than he was before. "This is what I was talking about! You can't even pretend to listen to me when I'm angry!"

"Hey! I listen plenty!" He barked.

Fiona waited a moment, then calmed down. "Alright, then listen closely." She reached over Scourge's body, opened the passenger side door, and grabbed the steering wheel again. "Get out, dear."

Fiona gave Scourge a strong shove with both hands. Without a seat belt to secure him, he tumbled out like a sack of flour. The moment he was out of the car, Fiona was already closing his door.

"Good boy! Now, since you can 'outrun any of us slow bastards,' why don't you prove it to me, and get to the motel before me? Can you do that, baby?" Every word was said with a big grin, dripping with as much passive aggression as she could muster.

Scourge was still clutching his chest when he stood up. By then, his scratched-up red convertible was already speeding down the road. Scourge could have screamed then and there... could have. For once, she didn't dump him by some miles long stretch of corn by the highway. No, this was a supermarket. More importantly, it was a supermarket with a handful of cars in front of it. Just hop in one of them, and he could easily get there before Fiona ever would. "Alright, which of you's gonna take me home?" He said to no one in particular.

A dark green compact car? Nah, too old. This must have been made in the seventies. Can't be seen in that thing.

A grey SUV? With a handicap license plate? As terrible as Scourge was, he wasn't going to take a whole car from someone physically handicapped. That's a whole other brand of evil.

A black mom car? Not with a yapping Border Collie in the back, he's not.

A silver van with a few missing and bumper stickers for several good bands? Perfect.

Hot-wiring a car wouldn't be anything new to Scourge, but this was childishly easy. There was no drivers side window. The keys were lefts in the ignition. The gas had recently been filled. This couldn't have been an easier job if the owner had told Scourge they were free to take their car. With a turn of the key, Scourge was pulling out of the parking lot, driving down the same road Fiona had left down.

"Alright, now where the hell are we?" Scourge wasn't good with street names at all, but wherever he was? No idea, but it didn't matter. It doesn't matter what she thought he did, you don't shove Scourge the Hedgehog out of his own car. Not on the side of the highway. Not in farmer whoever's corn fields. And not in some weird part of town. He'd find that hotel eventually.

Five minutes passed.

Ten more minutes passed.

It was official, Scourge had no idea where he was going. Every turn he thought felt familiar brought him somewhere else he didn't recognize. Frustrated, he stood outside his car, and finally let out that scream he'd been holding in. "DeeeeaaAAAAAAUGHH!" Slightly less pissed off, he turned back to his car, only to face a handful of suburbanites sitting in their yards, clearly frightened by this random green dude screaming. He walked up to the person closest to him, a little old lady sitting in her yard.

"Lady! You know where the Cornerstone Motel is?"

"The Cornerstone?" She said in a surprisingly high, squeaky voice. "Why are you looking here? That's on the other side of the city."

All expression in Scourge's eyes voided, which the old lady definitely noticed. "Go on the interstates off exit 168, and get off at exist 178." She was clearly shaken.

Without a second of hesitation, Scourge jumped back into the driver's side, and sped off as quickly as his old convertible could manage. Oh, he was still pissed beyond belief, but he had a goal for once. If only he had...

...Music! If their bumper stickers say anything, whoever owns this car has pretty good taste. With a push of a button, the ancient CD player roared to life with a familiar riff.

"Yyyyeeeeeaa-he-heeeaaaaah!" He couldn't help but let out a laugh as it started playing. Maybe it's because he was so pissed off, but hearing a song that familiar was like seeing an old friend for the first time in years.

 _It's a total eclipse  
The moon's overtaken the sun_

He knew every line of this horrible, trashy, poorly-composed eighties song by heart. The singer hadn't even finished singing 'Eclipse', and he was already belting the lyrics.

 _It's a total eclipse  
You're coming to grips_

"You'll be left in the shadows!" He screamed out, adding his own styling to the last note, and carrying it on way longer than he should have. He was so loud, he almost missed a weird distortion to the vocal track. _Why's she sound so low?_ He thought.

 _Cause I've got  
Universal appeal_

It was there again, that weird vocal problem. "Eh? The original vocalists are there. Is that some extra chick? Why's that voice so loud?"

 _Universal appeal_

The extra voice we very loud this time. It only took a moment for Scourge to come to the correct, horrible conclusion.

Scourge snapped his head around to check the back of the car. In the back seat of his stolen car was some green guy under a blanket, barely awake and singing the lyrics unconsciously. His voice was actually very good, given that he was half awake and had just been accidentally kidnapped.

"Holy sh-!" Scourge screamed, instinctively swerving for a moment before focusing on the road. Once he was straightened again, he looked back at the guy in the back seat. He was lime green, and his hair was weird as hell. _Holy hell,_ He thought. _He's actually kind of cute... But fuck, that hair is terrible. He's asleep, not like it matters,_ he thought.

"Dude, why'd you turn it off?" Manic mumbled. "We were just getting to the good part."

Manic slowly sat up, fighting every instinct to go back to sleep. Scourge, frightened to all hell, pulled the car over as quickly as he could manage. He hadn't reached the highway yet, so he ended up parking in the large empty patch of grass next to some quiet stretch of road. His travel companion seemed completely unaffected.

"Dang, I can't even remember last night. Do I know you...?"

Once the car was stopped, Scourge tried desperately to come up with an excuse. His mind raced, his hands grew sweaty. All he could do was stare at this kid and hope he wouldn't catch on. _I don't know! What the hell! I guess I have to say I know this kid?_ He thought desperately. "I-"

"Ooooooooh!" Manic shot up, suddenly full of energy. "You're stealing my car!"

There was a long pause. When the reality of what happened hit Manic, he didn't get angry or show fear. No, he just slumped a bit. "Oh, dude... that's not cool." He finally said.

"Aren't- Why aren't you scared?!" Scourge screamed again.

"Nah, don't worry about it." He said, more sighing than talking. He didn't sound disappointed, more bemused and tired. "These last two months have been all kinds of weird. This is like normal now, dude."

Another wordless pause.

"But that really isn't cool. You don't steal a car. It's like someone's baby! You wouldn't steal someone's baby."

"Kid, are you off? You want this thing back?" He finally said.

"Oh, dude, do you need a drive somewhere?" Manic raised his right hand, and pointed his thumb behind him. "I can drive you there. I ain't got anywhere I need to be."

At this point, Scourge was done with everything. As though everything he thought was true was suddenly wrong. With this green kid, clearly nothing he knew about rational emotional behavior was going to do him any good. Fear first sent him careening into anger, and then ascending far past fury, far beyond petrification, beyond confusion of any kind, and finally stopping at an emotional void, somehow feeling all these emotions and yet none.

"You're just gonna- gonna your carjacker where he wants to go, kid?" Scourge said, exasperated. "Are you simple? Are you that simple?"

Manic gave a cheesy grin and shrugged. "Manic the worst hergehorg. C'mon, lemme get in the front seat."

 _Better than walking,_ Scourge eventually thought. The two stepped out onto the grass. _No one this stupid could be malicious, right?_ As soon as Scourge sat in the passenger side seat, he reclined his seat back, and relaxed his legs on the dashboard. One of his hands was left lazily hanging on his chest.

Manic "Alright, pal, where're we going?"

"You know where the Cornerstone Motel is?"

"Oh, dude, you know you're kind of far-"

"I know!" Scourge kicked his foot on the dashboard. Scourge held up his hands pretty quickly.

"Okay, okay, sorry, dude." Manic said. He pressed his shoe on the gas and started pulling back onto the road. "You want some tunes?"

Scourge nodded in response. "Yeeeeeeeah," Manic added. In a moment, horrible 80's pop music flooded the car once again. Scourge had more than enough he wanted to ask this weird, WEIRD kid, but the power of synth was slowly taking over.

"Who are you?" Scourge finally asked, clearly uncomfortable.

"I told you, Manic the worst hargharg."

"No, WHO Are you? You just had your car stolen, why aren't you scared?!"

"I'm scared all the time. Uh... No, I'm anxious all the time? And all kinds of crap happens to me." He shrugged again. "Sometimes, being happy and dumb's better than screaming, you know?" The two finally got onto the highway, and started the drive across the city.

"'All the time'?! How often can you get carjacked?"

Manic waved a hand in denial. "Oh, noooo, no, not carjacking. Uuuuuh... Like, a while back, I flirted with this one girl, but she got angry and punched me in the face. Then I flirted with this horse guy she was with, but he also punched me in the face." He looked directly at Scourge, grinning wide. "I kinda get punched in the face a lot."

For the first time, Scourge noticed the huge chip in Manic's front teeth. Not that he seemed to care that much.

"You flirted with some chick and her boyfriend?" Scourge laughed. "You were asking for it, buddy."

"Aaaaw, don't I know it." Manic said jokingly.

"I've been there, but you're too calm about being kidnapped, kid. Have a spine."

"What do you mean, you've been there?" Manic asked.

Scourge responded by unzipping his jacket. He would have a perfect, healthy build under there if it weren't for two long, straight scars straight across the abs. They were clearly relatively recent, as they were still a light, fleshy pink. "Stay outta trouble before you get messed up, kid."

"Ooooh shooooot, how old is that thing?"

"Not old enough." Scourge zipped up his jacket again. "Shit happens."

"Oh, right!" Manic smacked his forehead. "I almost forgot, there was also that time I got robbed!"

"Right now?"

"No, like, before right now! Uuuuh... Like, right after I got punched in the face twice!" Once again, he gave Scourge a full view of his chipped front tooth. "Guess who was one of the first victims of Plague Reflux?"

"That a bad metal album?" Scourge questioned.

"No, It's like... They're these thieves that are traveling everywhere and robbing a bunch of jewelry places and... like, not jewelry places? You know, snobby stores. And they have these really ugly outfits. Anyways, one of 'em held me at gunpoint."

This did not answer any questions. Scourge shot up in his seat, and glared. "Gunpoint?"

"Yeeeaah!" Manic said, halfway between talking and laughing. "Right to the head! And all they wanted was... Ahh, it was some cheap necklace."

"Then why'd they point a gun at your head?!"

"It looked fancy? My sister gave me this whole drum-shaped necklace when I was a kid? It looks all expensive, but... Eeeeh, it's worthless!" He laughed again. He faced the driver side window, looking blankly at the sky. He sighed and said, "Damn, I miss that thing..."

The two of them said nothing for a while. The comment made the already awkward air even heavier, and neither of them knew what to say, so they sat in silence for what felt like a while.

...Until they both remembered there was still music playing.

 _HHHEHEHAAAAAAAIIII'MMM TAAAKING A TRAIN  
TAAAAAKING A TRAIN  
TAAAAKING A TRAAAAAIIIIEIEIEIEIIEIIIIIIIINNNNN_

"Who the hell is this singer?" Scourge asked. Calling her a singer was a generous compliment. Calling this a song was a very generous compliment.

"You want something else? I got a looot else." Manic spoke with more energy than he had during the rest of their exchange. He opened the glove box and whipped out a CD bag. Scourge snatched it out of his hands. "Take your pick."

As soon as the case was unzipped, a light pink envelope fell out of the case. _Sonia_ was written across it in large, beautiful calligraphy. "Don't worry about that," Manic said, "It's probably not important." And with a flick of the wrist, the letter was out the window, where it would slowly flutter into a stagnant puddle and never be seen again.

Scourge flipped through the CDs. "Oh shit, no one else even knows Tasha Slaughter makes music anymore!" Scourge was pleasantly surprised by most of the selection. "Good taste, kid. The Sourballs, Amethyst Dusk... Damn, even The Urrrghs-"

Abruptly, Scourge slapped the case closed and yelled at Manic, "Chunky Punch?!"

"I don't like their Chunky work, but their Punchy work is bumping!" He said. "Eeeeeehehehe, my taste is garbage. Just like me!"

"You can say that again." Scourge started flipping through the CDs once again, flipping over the page with that heathen Chunky Punch CD. As Manic started pulling off of their exit, Scourge reached a couple of pages filled with CDs that didn't have proper labels. Names like _Someday (Light of Love)_ and _Let The Good Times Roll_ were written in marker on all of them. "These some kind of indie band?" Scourge asked, with the word indie dripping with spite.

"OoooooOOOOOOH DUUUDE!" Manic shouted. "Dude, that's MY band!"

Scourge stared flatly. "You have a band."

"Yeeeah! We're _Manic Automatic_!" Manic shouted.

"Drums?" Scourge joked.

"Yeeeeah-hea-heaaaaah! Drums and vocals!" Manic gripped the steering wheel as he got more excited. "Want some good music, you gotta MAKE good music!"

 _You don't drum and do lead vocals!_ Scourge thought. "Alright, I've got nothing better to do. Sing something."

Manic was caught off-guard in his excitement. He looked at Scourge, who was grinning like he was challenging him. "You're in a band, sing something for me. You sounded alright when you were asleep, lemme hear your voice."

"Usually, people are trying to get me to stop," Manic thought. Manic cleared his throat, and started belting out.

 _Hey, lover, come and be my alibi  
I'm gonna burn down the house tonight  
Ride with me, I know your friends say that I'm trouble_

Scourge was immediately taken back. His singing before was just okay, but when he was awake? His voice was incredible. While a bit higher than he expected, his voice carried an incredible amount of power. Each note was struck perfectly, every word delivered in perfect time. As off as this kid seemed, it was clear he put a ton of time into vocal training. Even though Manic stopped singing after those three lines, Scourge was captivated for the duration, and could do nothing but stare for what felt like a minute after he had finished singing.

"Surprised?" Manic finally teased. "Oh, dude, we're almost there."

Sure enough, the Cornerstone Motel was slowly coming into view. It wasn't a horrible motel by any mean - It looked well kept, at least. If it was anywhere else in the city, it would be completely normal, but something about the vines on the walls and the out of commission pool made the whole building seem slightly off.

"You're strange, you know that?" Scourge said, just as they were pulling into the parking lot. "I like you, kid. Scourge. Scourge the Hedgehog."

"Hey, wait, before you go." Manic put the car into park, and reached for the CD case. "You want some more singing, here's our CD." He handed Scourge the disc labeled _Let The Good Times Roll_. "Actually, if you wanna hear us live, we're performing at The Fat Mutt. It's this bar and grill over on 25th and 3rd. I think out set starts at nine?"

Scourge took the CD, without any real intention of listening to it. He was halfway to his door before he stopped, leaving Manic with a half mumbled "Thanks." Manic closed his eyes, nodded, and pulled away from the motel.

Manic started hammering on the door to room 14 with his right fist. "Fiona, don't pull this shit, the car's parked here! Open the fucking door!" He didn't let up his yelling until Fiona finally decided to open up.

"You sure got here quickly."

Scourge pushed past her. "Don't pull that kind of shit again, Fiona!" He growled. He threw the CD down in a fit of petty rage.

"How'd you get here so quickly?" Fiona crossed her arms.

"I got a ride."

"You don't know anyone here." Fiona scoffed. "We've been in town for ten hours-"

Fiona's stiffened up. "You stole a car again, didn't you?"

"YOU stole MY car!" Scourge yelled, pointing his finger at Fiona's face. Fiona grabbed his wrist.

"The difference," Fiona whispered, "is that you aren't gonna call the cops on me." She let go of his arm, and pushed him back. "Can you lay off all these petty crimes for once?! If you don't want to get caught, you need to at least TRY and take a break!"

"I'm not gonna get caught, baby! I'm Scourge the Hedgehog!"

"EXACTLY! You're a hedgehog! Just another animal. You aren't king of the tramps anymore; You can mess up and get caught like anyone else!" She walked in closer, and drew a finger down his jacket, stopping her finger where his scars were. She drew her head in closer to his, and spoke quieter with every word. "You already screwed up once. And don't call me baby again. Got it?"

"Keep your hands off me, baby." Scourge growled, slamming his fist on the dresser.

Scourge's fist made a concerning crunch. The two stopped their bickering to see that Scourge, in his anger, had ended up shattering Manic's CD with his fist. Fiona grabbed a roughly triangular piece, and used it to point at Scourge.

"If you listened to me, you wouldn't have those scars, and we wouldn't be in that crappy motel, and you wouldn't have gotten pissy and broken your disc." Fiona stopped talking to look at the fragment. "Where'd you get this, anyways?"

Scourge didn't respond. He just lied down on his bed and put his hand on his forehead.

"I need a smoke, princess," Fiona eventually said. She reached into her pocket, pulled out a box of cigarettes, and left Scourge alone. "Shit, he'd be pissed at me..." He said.

Meanwhile, Manic was blissfully unaware of all of Fiona and Scourge's bickering. He was just turning into a familiar road, and started the long drive back to his apartment.

The drive home brought him passed all kind of old memories. There was that old burger joint he took some girl to once. "Didn't she get offended cause she was vegan or something?" He turned left, and in the same plaza was the thrift store he was banned from for stealing a set of lock picks. "Wait, was that this one or the one over on Lemat Parkway? ...No, it was here." Not that he needed to stop there anyways.

There was that music store he wasn't banned from because he only stole some guitar strings. And right next to it was the bar where his guitarist ended up breaking an A string one night. And right across the way was the medical clinic he went to when a broken A string flung up and scratched his eye. He'd only every lived in this city, and every building carried some kind of meaning for him. Not all of them were good memories, and there were many, many, far too many memories he'd love to forget, but they at least made fun stories.

After minutes and minutes of bad driving and worse 80s music, Manic finally arrived in front of his apartment. While he was getting out of his car, his sister ran down the stairs.

The first thing most people would notice about Sonia is her build. While Manic was a man with a very feminine build, Sonia was the opposite; a woman with a rather manly build. Her shoulders were broad, and she was surprisingly strong, given her appearance. She was a bright cranberry red, and her hair was a light pink worn in a practical, yet feminine, fashion. She wore a simple dark purple sundress and matching shoes. And around her neck, just like Manic, she had an old pendant. Hers was curved and engraved to look like a keyboard.

"Manic, where have you been?" Anyone else would hear her tone as angry, but Manic new this is how Sonia sounded when she was scared. "You were gone all night! Did you spend another night looking for that necklace?"

"No, I just... I think I fell asleep in my car? Was I doing something?"

"I asked you to get groceries yesterday."

Memories sparked in Manic's head. "Riiiiiiight!" He ran to the back of his car, and flipped the trunk. Most of the foods were nonperishable, but two gallons of milk had also been left in the trunk overnight. Manic grabbed them, and faced Sonia. "Oooooh, right..."

Sonia sighed, and smiled. "We'll get some more, Manic. Just throw them away, and I'll get some more tomorrow." While Manic walked towards a dumpster in an alley next to the building, Sonia picked up all the remaining bags, and closed the trunk. "We should start practicing soon."

"Riiight! Come on!" Manic grabbed a bag out of Sonia's hands, and rushed up the stairs. Sonia sighed, straightened her back, and followed Manic inside. They had a show this evening. And if Scourge had one thing in his life that he didn't think was completely ruined yet, he was about to give it his all.


	3. Chapter Two

As far as places where Manic Automatic performed, The Fat Mutt was easily the nicest establishment. Manic just happened to know the owner since he was a kid, he just happened to enjoy the band's sound, and before they knew it, the band just happened to have a set every other Friday evening. And Manic couldn't be happier with the arrangement. A small stage next to a nice, long mahogany bar and a whole dining room arranged for a full view of the stage, all in warm wood tones and lit by gorgeous glass lighting. For a band used to playing in small bars and dingy clubs, this place felt like the Ritz.

Unlike in the Ritz, and unlike in certain snobby jewelry stores, it was perfectly alright to shout "OOOOH DAAAAMN" across the building to grab someone's attention, even if the dining area was half full.

"Dude, how long's it been?!" Manic ran towards another Hedgehog. Or rather, Manic took a few steps, and the other hedgehog had already run up to him.

Sonic greeted him with a cheesy grin and a cheesy finger gun, all topped off with a very cheesy "What up?!"

Sonic had found himself a comfortable life as a profession athlete, and he made sure everyone could see it. He only wore a slightly loose-fitting white tank top and a pair of black athletic shorts. And of course, his favorite, bright red and horribly flashy running shoes.

Scourge hugged Sonic with his usual energy. Sonia just watched on and laughed to herself.

"It's 'what's up,' Sonic." She said.

"You lost your guitar player again?" Sonic asked Manic. Manic scratched the back of his head.

"You know our luck. So does that mean...?"

Sonic pointed back at the stage. Sure enough, an unmistakable metallic blue guitar was on a stand onstage. Manic put both hands behind his head.

"Oooooooh! This is gonna be awesome!" He looked at Sonic again, and noticed something off. "Aw, shoot, this is the first time we'll play without our necklace."

"Yeah, I heard about that, bro." Sonic patter his brother on the back. "But I have good news for you."

Sonic put his arm behind his back, and pulled it back with the third necklace in his hand. Of course, Sonic couldn't just have a guitar. No, it needed to be a guitar shaped roughly like his head and with three necks no one could possibly play.

"And I thought you'd like this for now." Sonia walked towards the two. She reached into her right pocket, and pulled out a ball chain necklace with a single dog tag on it. "It's not the same, but I got it custom engraved." But instead of having it custom engraved with his name or a message, the front side of it bore the same shape as his old, stolen pendant. Manic snatched it up and put it on immediately.

"YooooOOOOO!"

"Wasn't that that group of thieves? Plague Reflux?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah, but they didn't bother with me. Three of didn't even notice me, it was fiiiiine."

"Three of them?" Sonic asked. "I thought there were only supposed to be two members?"

"Probably. I mess up everything." He laughed at himself. "When am I serious? We haven't seen each other in forever - we should be celebrating!"

Sonic grabbed Manic by the waist with his right arm, and Sonia by her waist with his left, and pullet them in. "It's been a while, guys."

After a tender moment, Sonic released his hold. "C'mon," Manic started, "We haven't practiced the new songs together yet. You got all the chords down, right?"

"Yeah! Yeah, I've been practicing them!" Sonic was suddenly a little uncomfortable. "Oh, yeah, so-"

"Is this about...?" Sonia asked Sonic specifically.

"Yeah... Uh, buddy, some of your lyrics are kind of uncomfortable."

Manic held up his hands and smiled. "Hey, I get what you're saying, but I thought experimenting with the lyrics would be kind of interesting."

"No... No, we mean, we're concerned about you, Manic." Sonia said. "It's one thing to make a joke about yourself here and there-"

"Naaaaah, you both worry too much!" Manic's energy slowly faded. "No one'll mind. It's just a joke!"

Sonia and Sonic looked at each other. There was an uncomfortable pause.

"Come on, we've got to practice! I've got some stuff to do."

Manic walked towards the stage. His siblings followed begrudgingly.

"Do you think we should take it off the set list?" Sonic asked.

"He'd notice, wouldn't he?"

"We could tell him I didn't practice the chords." The two continued arguing with each other as they walked into the back room.

"Eight fifty." Scourge thought. "Why am I doing this?"

Scourge couldn't answer his own question. Manic had an unforgettable voice... but that doesn't mean his band would necessarily be great. "It's a bar, at least. I can get plastered if he ends up sucking." Even if their whole horribly awkward exchange was enjoyable, he couldn't explain why he was driving to the show location to himself. He was some green kid. What did he care?

Twenty-Fifth Street. That's where he said this place would be. "The Old Mutt, right?" Seventh... Sixth... Fifth... As he passed the intersection at 25th and 4th, he saw the bar in the distance. The entrance was a set of double doors on the corner of the building, and going either way were tall, wide windows inside. A sign hung over the doorway reading _The Fat Mutt,_ complete with an illustration of a stylized beige dog growling. Given the kind of guy Manic seemed like, this place was much snootier than he expected. He pulled his beaten-up convertible into an open space just a short walk away from the building.

"Hello, sir." Greeted the maître d', a white ermine in a polo embroidered with the bar's logo. "A table for how many?"

"One. By the bar." Scourge responded.

"Right this way, sir." The ermine lead him to one of the open tables near the bar. "Your waiter will be right with you." She gave her best smile, and walked away.

 _Nice place,_ Scourge thought. It was a bit bourgeois for his taste - More or less any place with well-dressed wait staff was too snobby for him. He wasn't hungry, anyways. He didn't even bother looking at the menu when his waiter finally came by.

"Good evening-" the man started to say.

Scourge waved the menu away. "I ain't hungry. Just get me a bottle of Gold Crest."

"Right away, sir."

Scourge sat in silence, watching the stage. Manic was setting up with a pink girl and some blue guy. _Only three members? No bass?_ He thought. _Hell's bells..._

The waiter quickly returned with a bottle and a chilled glass. While he put them on a table, an older man walked onto the stage. He was a dark green insect of some variety - no one really knew, but no one really cared, either. He tapped the microphone in front of Sonia twice.

"Good evening, everyone." He had a surprisingly deep and rough voice. "I've seen most of you here before, so we shouldn't need any introductions. I'm Farrell, I'm the owner, yadda yadda yadda." He stepped more to the side of the stage. "And I know why half of you are here - the musical stylings of _Manic Automatic_ , starting with, uh..." He looked at a piece of paper he tried to hide in his hand. "...A new song, Bitter Merlot! Enjoy the show, everyone!"

As soon as he said Manic Automatic, a few members of the audience cheered in response. Farrell motioned to the band as he walked off the stage. While Scourge poured his drink, he didn't take his eyes off the band.

He waited.

Manic wasted no time, and his drums roared to life in an instant. After a brief but intense drum intro, Sonic and Sonia joined in with a surprisingly catchy mid-tempo tune. _A bit mellow for me,_ thought Scourge. Manic leaned closer to his microphone.

 _Screwed up bad again, didn't we?_

Scourge shivered. He'd forgotten just how good Manic's voice was. Scourge was captivated once again.

 _Lay low, they'll never find you here  
There ain't nothing out there for me  
And nobody else inside_

Given that the band didn't have any proper bass, Scourge was pleasantly surprised by how full the sound was. Sonic's guitar and Sonia's keyboard tone melded together with Manic's voice into a rough, yet surprisingly mellow sound. But the energy Manic drummed and sang with was hypnotizing. This wasn't how he talked when they first met, or when he dropped him off. This was Manic at his best.

 _Just you, me, and the drums  
Peeling walls and watery beer  
Don't know where this is coming from  
Don't know if I'm scared or just dumb  
But damn, I love the ride_

Manic's voice carried through surprisingly well. With as strenuous as drum playing tended to be, Manic didn't sound like he was struggling over the lyrics or the melody at all. He sounded just about as clear as he did in the car earlier. His lyric writing was clearly the weak point of the song. Not horrendous or offensive, just amateur.

Scourge leaned back, and grinned. "Shit, I think I'm liking this." He sipped his beer just as the song got to the chorus.

 _Grab me by the neck, I'll drink your lies like Merlot  
Force me down and drown me in Galliano_

Scourge had to stop again. Manic managed to project his voice incredibly loudly. If he was singing without the microphone, he would have been no less clear.

 _They find us and ruin us at any second  
Bruise me and hold me tight, teach me a lesson  
Have some fun, drink with me, don't make me beckon for love and a  
Blackout for two_

Normally, Scourge would have been more than impressed with the way Manic held the final line of the chorus out. He'd normally be impressed with his intense, perfected drumming. He couldn't put a finger to it, but something about the song started to rub him the wrong way. Something...

 _Can't be prince without a king  
Even the garbage needs a leader_

No, not just about the song, about the performance too. While Manic was completely absorbed into the performance, Sonic and Sonia seemed uncomfortable. Sonia occasionally darted her eyes at the audience, then away, as though she was ashamed, or embarrassed. Sonic looked down at the stage. He tried to smile and put on a show, but the energy he'd normally give off? Gone.

 _All you want is a plaything  
And I can give what you need  
Or do you want some more_

 _Plaything?_ Scourge thought. _What's this kid talking about?_

 _Grab me by the neck, I'll drink your lies like Merlot  
Force me down and drown me in Galliano_

This time, Scourge thought about the lyrics. It hit like a brick how dark the lyrics seemed. Not intentionally dark, either. 'Grab me by the neck' and 'Force me down' weren't sung with any twinge of sadness or remorse. Manic seemed to sing them completely seriously.

 _They'll find us and ruin us at any second  
Bruise me and hold me tight, teach me a lesson  
Have some fun, drink with me, don't make me beckon for love and a  
Blackout for two_

Scourge just about dropped his drink. This song wasn't dark, this was disturbed.

He watched Manic's siblings as Manic performed a drum solo for a middle eight. Sonia looked at Sonic. Her eyes were wide and concerned, as though she was begging for help. Sonic looked like he was trying to get Manic's attention, but Manic was too involved in an incredibly intricate drum solo. His siblings seemed to remember they were in the middle of a performance, and stepped back into position with forced smiled as Manic reached the end of the song.

 _Burn me like cheap whiskey and be smooth as Merlot  
Force me down and drown me in Galliano  
We'll probably die before everything's over  
I'm not gonna ache or get smashed and hungover  
Have some fun, drink with me, don't make me beckon for love and a  
Blackout with you  
Blackout with you_

All three members stopped playing as Manic belted out the final note, closing out the song with an impressive, long tone.

There was a pause.

The regular fans of Manic Automatic burst out into applause. Even many of the diners who didn't seem to know who the band seemed to have gotten into the performance. Scourge was one of the few people who didn't seem to have loved the song. Oh, he loved the composition! Everything else about the song was much, much more than he expected from this band! But the lyrics stopped him from being comfortable with any of it. It was as though he wanted to be abused. As though he thought of that as healthy.

After a moment, Sonic started back up with a guitar riff. _This kid ain't right..._ Scourge thought. He took a long drink from his glass. He was going to need it.

The band's set only lasted an hour and a half. Most of the song were surprisingly catchy, some were nice and mellow, and a few were... underwritten, to say the least. Scourge was able to get into most of the music, as well as most of the diners, but Scourge couldn't get that first song out of his head. Manic needed some kind of help.

 _...Show them that the hedgehogs are back  
Let's do it to it_

The last song of the set was a horribly cheesy bit of 90s pop-rock sung by Sonic. As the song finished up, Manic stood up, and grabbed his mike. A few people in the restaurant cheered. "Hey, thanks for coming, everyone- Oooooooh, Mina, What's uuuup?!" He pointed to a young woman in the crowd. "Thanks for coming, everyone. Sonia's gonna be working the rest of the night, and we'll be hanging around here. If you want any CDs, we've got you covered. Peace!"

As the band walked offstage to applause, Ferrell walked back on. "Everyone, our next set ain't for another thirty minutes. We've got some more entertainment in line, so just sit tight." With that surprisingly brief message, Ferrell walked offstage once again.

Scourge was just a little bit tipsy. He'd only had three beers - the bottle of Gold Crest, some froufrou beer called Black Lashes (it was alright), and a bottle of Corlette. For him, a light night. The waiter was trying to get Scourge to leave all evening, since he refused to order anything else, so he finally got up and walked to where the band was sitting. It was a round table with four chairs at it. Sonia sat between Sonic and Manic, and the fourth chair remained empty. All three of them drank from water glasses. Manic had pulled out yet another stack of hand-labeled CDs.

"He split before your last performance?" Sonic asked.

"We had to ask Max from Mina's band to fill in for the night." Sonia laughed. "We can't find anyone else to stick after you left."

"Hey, I'd love to play with you guys all the time!" Sonic raised his hand in front of him. "I don't have the time."

"Heeeey, don't worry, we get it." Manic said. "You can't be lazy if you're gonna compete internationally. You- Oooooooh damn, you actually came!"

"Language, Manic," Sonia said, as all they turned around to face Scourge.

"Good show, kid," Scourge said. "You've got some pipes on you."

"Thanks, my man!" Manic said. He pushed the seat out. "Come on, take a seat. There's are my brother and sister, Sonia and Sonic." They both nodded at him. "This is Scourge, he stole our car!"

As he'd expected to do at some point, Scourge glared at Manic. Sonic nearly spit out his water, and Sonia gasped. She held her hands up to her face. Manic waited for a moment, then smacked his own forehead.

"Oh yeah! Sonia, the car was stolen earlier, but everything's fiiiine now."

"Manic, don't hang out with a car thief!" Sonic said. "You get in enough trouble as is!"

"Yeah, I thought that too, but-"

"Are you alright?!" Sonia asked.

"I'm a-okay. Yeah, I thought that, but I ain't exactly a stranger to theft." Manic had definitely lost some of his pep, but he was still keeping in good spirits. "So anyways-"

"No, Manic, you can't be friends with someone like him," Sonia said.

"We have to ask you to leave, Scourge," Sonic stared directly at Scourge when he said that. Scourge stared right back, not wavering.

"Hey, don't judge, blue boy." Scourge was grinning, but every word was caked in spite. "You ain't got a clue who I am."

"Unlike me, if you get past his criminal tendencies, he's actually pretty cool!" Manic made a dumb grin at his joke. "You liked our CD that much, huh?"

"You've got some talent. So do you, girl." He looked at Manic and Sonia, respectively. When he was done, he looked at Sonic for a moment, then leaned back in his chair. "So what's with the necklace?"

Sonic picked up his pendant between two fingers. He tried not to act too offended. "We started this band when we were just kids."

"But then we were _Sonic Underground!_ " Manic made some grand hand gesture as he said the band's old name. "Sonic cut these out of old soda cans so we could look cool, and Sonia got them covered in silver for some reason!"

"It was Sonic's idea." Sonia was trying to be sociable, but still looked uncomfortable.

"And what did yours looks like, Green?"

"Check it out!" Manic gave him his new dog tag. "It's like that, but not on a dog tag."

"That's cheesy as all hell." Scourge laughed, but continued looking at the dog tag.

"Hell yeah it is!"

While Scourge returned the dog tags, Sonia and Sonic looked at each other and shrugged. "Manic, I have to talk with my manager quickly." Sonia said. Before Manic could even respond, Sonia was already leaving.

"Wait, Sonia!" She was already at the back of the restaurant, and leaving into the employee-only area. "That isn't what I thought you were going to do." He mumbled under his breath.

"What'd you think she'd do?" Scourge asked. He went in closer to Sonic.

"She was supposed to give the three of us a reason to leave." Sonic said. He stopped abruptly, and sniffed at the air. "Have you been drinking?"

"It's a bar, ain't it?" Scourge asked, before standing up. "I was gonna leave soon, anyways."

"Wait, like, drive away? Don't drive if you've been drinking." Manic said. The conversation seems to have slowly drained him, until he was speaking in the same half-awake way he did when they first met. "I'll drive you back, buddy, don't worry." He stood up, walked up to his brother, and patted him on the back. "It's been awesome seeing you again. Keep in touch, alright?"

Manic strided out the door, undistributed CDs in hand. Scourge waited until he had left, and turned to face Sonic. "Your brother's cute."

"Don't you dare hurt him. If you do-"

"Don't touch me." He yelled, and pushed Sonic away. "I wasn't gonna touch him, anyways. Manic's cool, at least. Why are you such an uptight little shit, anyways?"

Sonic moved in close, and held his finger very close to Scourge's face. "I don't want to fight someone like you." He said through gritted teeth.

"Then lay off." Scourge pushed his hand away, and walked out the door. Sonic walked towards the window, and watched him walk down the street to his car. Sonia walked up behind him.

"What are we going to do?" She asked.

Sonic sighed. "Manic needs more friends, but that guy's gonna hurt someone," he said. "Why would he trust him this much?"

Scourge was patting all his pockets. "Where the hell are my keys...?" He looked up, only to see Manic twirling them in his right hand. "Why the hell did you-"

"You stole my car. Now we can call it even, right?" Manic let out a weak laugh. "Hop in."

Scourge grinned. Now that his brother was out of the way, they could actually talk. They jumped into the front seats of the cars. As the car pulled out of the spot, Scourge looked at Manic. "So what was up with that first song?"

"Oh yeah, you liked that?" Manic asked. "Sonic and Sonia hated that song. They said it was skeevy? I dunno."

"Well, yeah, it kind of is, kid. You don't ask your lover to force you down or grab your neck. That's messed up."

Manic looked away, still smiling a faint smile. "No, you don't get it. They're not literal, they're supposed to sound wild and passionate."

"'Bruise me, teach me a lesson' isn't a damn metaphor." Scourge yelled. He stopped his yelling abruptly, and said more quietly, "that song sounded straight up abusive."

When they stopped at an intersection, Manic twisted his head around to look at Scourge. "I'm just some gutter kid. You think I deserve a nice relationship? I'd be happy with anything. I don't really care that much." He punctuated this with yet another laugh.

This was the first time Scourge ever really looked at Manic's eyes. His eyes would normally be very striking and gorgeous. His irises were a rich honey gold, with flecks of vibrant green radiating from around his pupil. But his eyes didn't look sarcastic. His smile was wide and his laugh sounded genuine, but his eyes looked sad and hollow. He was looking in Scourge's direction, but not at Scourge. He was gazing into space, his large, sad eyes almost looking like they were beginning to tear up.

He abruptly shook his head and faced the road again. "I didn't like those lyrics that much, anyways. I'll rewrite them at some point."

"What's going on?" For once, Scourge didn't seem angry or mocking in his tone. He sounded genuinely concerned. "Something's wrong." Manic gave a heavy sigh, even though he didn't stop smiling.

"I don't know, man. Ever since that robbery stuff, I haven't felt that great. Maybe that necklace brought good luck. I remember this one psychic guy I go to a bunch told me things like that carry good vibes, right? Maybe there's something to that." The car was starting to drive slower. "And Sonia's been on my back about getting a real job. I know I need one, but when we get a new guitar player, we're gonna go big!" He looked away. "I think she's scared for me."

They sat in silence for a while.

"Pull over."

Manic looked at Scourge, but he didn't look back. He was looking into space, just as Manic had before. He didn't look angry, either.

"Why, dude?"

"I want to talk."

Manic was very cautious. He could feel his anxiety going into overdrive. He was used to being so anxious he no longer felt afraid, but this? He was getting dangerously close to having it all boil over. With some slightly fumbled driving, he pulled the car into a large, empty lot next to some closed hardware store. He turned the car off, and all they heard were distant cars and the slight buzzing of some street lights.

"Close your eyes, kid." He was looking away from him even more. He seemed nervous.

"Is something going on?" Manic asked.

"Just... Just close your eyes." He spoke more annoyed this time. "I need you to stay there."

His anxiety was about to go over the top. _He's going to hurt you, isn't he...? Crap, what am I gonna do?_ Oddly enough, Scourge didn't push the point. Eventually, Manic begrudgingly gave in. "Alright man, they're closed."

"I'll be right back."

Manic could hear Scourge jiggling the keys out of the ignition, and opening his door to the car. The sound of his feet stomping on asphalt moved to the back of the car. Then, a click and a creak, followed by a sound that could only be Scourge shuffling around for something. Eventually, the sound of shuffling bottles, paper, and boxes stopped, and he could hear a car door close. Scourge paced back around the car, and closed his door.

Scourge put his hand on Manics, and after a moment of hesitation, opened his fist. Manic didn't want to open his eyes, but he could feel Scourge's hand tremble and hear him breathing. He seemed scared. His hesitation eventually ended with him slamming something made of paper into Manic's hand.

"Open your eyes."

Manic cautiously opened his eyes. Manic was now leaning on the car door, looking as away from Manic as he could. He clearly shifted the passenger side mirror. Manic could see Scourge occasionally glimpsing at him, before quickly looking away again. He was very slightly blushing. In his hand, he now held something, wrapped haphazardly in crumpled newspaper and masking tape.

"What's all this about?"

"I had a hunch about something." Scourge didn't sound annoyed, he sounded nervous. "Just open it before I change my mind."

Manic started peeling off the newspaper. It wasn't easy - Scourge clearly had no idea how to wrap a present. Layers and layers of tape had been wasted, so Manic gave up and started tearing the paper itself. At first, he was very, very confused. He knew exactly what he was given, but he had no idea why he'd been given it. But he took another good look at Scourge, and it came to him. The way his quills fell, the way he stood, the tone he spoke in...

Manic took another look at his newly unwrapped drum pendant.


	4. Chapter Three

There was a long silence.

Manic didn't know what to say. This guy seemed like he would be nice enough. He had good music taste, he had a good sense of humor. But he wasn't just a car thief like Manic. No, he was an armed robber. He had pointed a gun at Manic's head, and stolen something that meant the world to him. His gaze never moved from the pendant for that whole pause. Every scratch was where he remembered them being. There was no way this could have been a forgery.

Scourge didn't know what to say. For whatever reason, he cared about this hedgehog. He was willing to risk being called out to get his beloved necklace back to him. But he threatened his life. Not just the life of some new punk he liked, ooooh no. He threatened the life of someone who was clearly having issues of some kind. He didn't want to look at Manic. He knew what he'd done. He ruined his relationships with everyone, but this was more than that. This was completely fucking up a relationship that hadn't even started.

So they waited.

Manic eventually had the nerve to look up. Scourge was turned away from him.

"Why'd you give me this?" He wasn't angry. Just confused.

Scourge didn't respond.

"Dude... There's a line, you know?" Manic started to put his old necklace back on. "You can steal from some kinda rich guy, but don't just steal from random people. That ain't cool."

Scourge finally spoke. "Are you scared?"

"I'm always scared."

"Why aren't you running?"

"Cause I'm dumb as a rock." Manic gave a hollow laugh, and looked at the steering wheel.

Scourge relaxed the arm he was using to prop his head up. He didn't turn to face Manic, he stared at the sky.

"Why are you fine with this?" Scourge's voice was quiet and emotionally voided.

Manic waited to give his answer. "You know I'm also a thief, right?"

Scourge glanced at Manic, but didn't turn his head.

"Yeah... yeah, it's a problem. But I don't steal from anyone who can't afford it! It's only snobs and stuff." Manic looked Scourge square in the eyes. Scourge flinched. "Why did you threaten people, though? That isn't cool."

"We never hurt anyone." Scourge said. "I got some medical work. We needed a lot of money. So we got a lot of money."

"How much did you need?"

"Too much."

"Are you going to be okay?"

"I'm fine. I don't care about my health!" Scourge pounded his fist on the door. "I fucked you over so badly. Shit... SHIT!"

Scourge grabbed his quills in his hand and grasped tightly. His sunglasses fell of his head when he did so, but he grabbed them with his left hand before they hit the ground. Scourge wasn't new to regret, but to feel this frustrated was like poison to his body. His stomach began to ache, his scars lit on fire, and his heart felt like it was ready to burst. He sat in pained, awkward silence.

Manic broke the silence again. "You still need a drive back? It's not that far from here."

Scourge opened his eyes just enough to look at Manic. He didn't seem insincere. He smiled subtly, but it was clearly forced. His eyes gave away his sadness. This was tearing apart Manic just as much as it hurt Scourge. His posture was defeated, but not scared or angry. All he expressed was simple, base sadness.

"...Yeah."

Manic twisted the key again. The car stuttered and coughed to life. Without a word, they pulled out of the parking lot.

"It's just about the money with you, huh?" Manic asked. Scourge finally looked at him again.

"I need as much as I can get."

"Not even a little thrill?" Manic smiled, but this time, it looked sincere. "Trust me... There's something about taking some fancy lighter or thing, and trying to get in and out without anyone noticing. That moment, knowing you could get caught at any second; there's a thrill there I just can't get anywhere else. Honestly? Even this jacket was stolen." He shook his head. "Just tore off the tag and walked out."

Scourge looked away. He didn't want to admit that there was a little truth to what Manic had just said.

"Hey... Hey, so about that whole group of thieves. It's a group, right? But you keep saying you're the only one that needs money."

"I called in a few favors. And Fiona's always willing to roll with me."

"None of them are getting money?"

"I ain't the absolute worst. They take what they want, whether I like it or not."

"Then why did two of them stop going with you?"

Scourge said nothing. The motel was barely visible from their distance.

"I saw four thieves, but the news says there are only two?"

"I had three partners. We traveled in two cars, so if one of us got caught, the others could get us out of dodge. We split in one city, and never saw each other again." He sighed. "Fiona said we should forget about them..."

Scourge trailed off. He was watching the motel. As they drew closer, they could see a figure standing by the road that eventually came into focus as Fiona. As they got closer, something else came into view - a blue SUV. Fiona saw the car driving towards the motel, and walked towards the car quickly.

By the time they arrived, Scourge was fuming. He knew far too well who was in that SUV, as the sky blue hawk and tan-and-black lynx who drove it had helped him and Fiona with their thefts.

Scourge couldn't wait for Manic to stop the car, and jumped out to dash towards Fiona. Fiona opens the door to the SUV, slamming it in Scourge's face. In a desperate attempts to talk to her, he slammed his fist on the drivers-side window. Instead of backing down, Fiona pushed the lynx aside, and cracked the window as little as possible.

"Forget it, Scourge! If you aren't going to listen to us, we aren't gonna play along!"

Scourge tried desperately to claw the window down. "Open the fucking door, Fiona!" He opened his jacket, and raised his fists into a fighting pose.

"Listen to me!" Fiona screamed in the most ear-splitting way she could manage. "We aren't possessions you can toss around or robots to do your bidding! We are Predator Hawk, Lightning Lynx, and Fiona Fox, our own people! You want my love, you treat me like I have feelings!"

"Where the hell's everything we took?!"

"Right where we left it, baby." Fiona spoke in a softer, cooing tone. "Just a little lighter, though... I just wanted a little consideration." She dramatically threw her head to the side, and put on a cheesy pouty face. "Oh, I'm sorry I'm not going to see your self-centered hedonism for a while...!" She pulled out a stack of fifty dollar bills, and wiped her eyes.

Scourge pulled his mouth against the gap in the window. "How much is a 'consideration'?"

"It's enough. You know where to find us." Fiona moved away from the lynx. "Hit it."

The van sped out of the parking lot, with Scourge desperately trying to run after the car. But before he could catch up, the car inevitably rocketed down toward the street. Scourge ran up to his car, and jumped into the passenger's seat.

"Floor it."

With only a moment's hesitation, Manic took off after Fiona and friends. The convertible stuttered and fumbled along while the SUV swam through the city streets. Manic and Fiona pushed their vehicles to their absolute limits. Speed didn't matter. Eighty... Ninety... Speeds Manic has no right to be driving at. _We're going to squash someone_ played on repeat in Manic's head.

Scourge didn't fear anything in that moment. All he could feel were his teeth so clenched, they almost sunk into his own flesh.

At an empty intersection, the lynx suddenly swerved to the side of the road. Manic pulled a quick stop. To their relief and utter horror, the swerve wasn't them crashing - _they managed to swerve around 180 degrees without stopping_. Manic attempted a three-point turn, but it was too late. By the time they had turned the convertible around, the van had turned and disappeared down a road too far in the distance. Manic, emotionally exhausted from such a chase, stopped the car in a nearby spot.

"What are you stopping for?!" Scourge screamed as loud as his voice could manage. "You said you like thrills, go get them!"

"Dude..." Manic was out of breath. "That's too much thrill... they're gone, man. We lost them."

Scourge was too stubborn to admit defeat that easily. In a fit of desperation, he jumped out of the car and tried dashing down the street. As fast as he could run, and as far as he tried to run, it was nowhere near a hundred miles an hour. He was alone. Just him, Manic, and a seedy, rundown part of the city.

"AaaaAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUGH!"

Scourge's scream was louder than should have been reasonably possible. Manic shuddered at the intensity. Scourge grabbed his quills again, and turned his head towards the sky! "DAMNIT!"

Manic did nothing. There was nothing he could do that would make Scourge feel any better. He stayed parked, still processing what had just happened, and waiting for Scourge to make his next move.

Scourge stood outside staring down the road Fiona left down. Scourge, having nothing else to do, walked back to the car, and slammed the door. He didn't say a word, but was panting heavily from his run.

"Want to go back to the motel?" Manic asked as softly as he could manage.

"Don't take me back there." Scourge was pissed beyond belief, but it clearly wasn't directed at Manic.

And once more, they waited.

"Any way I can help?"

Scourge didn't respond. He let go of his quills, which fell mostly into place, but more messy than before.

"What helps you calm down?"

"I don't get calm. I get even."

Scourge lightened his death grip on the door, and put his forehead in his hand. Manic leaned back, looking away and pretending not to hear all the obscenities he was saying between gasps.

Then... Manic had a thought. It was a terrible, stupid idea, but there was a chance. He opened his case of CDs, and pulled out one with a blindingly neon pink label. He put it into the CD player, and the stereo system whirred to life.

 _It's a total eclipse  
The moon's overtaken the sun._

Scourge was beyond pissed at Fiona. This was far worse than anything she'd ever done before. This wasn't just mouthing off at him, this was betraying Scourge's monetary needs entirely. But his obscenities stopped. Manic didn't make any more moves. He sat and waited. And sure enough, intentional or not, he was tapping his foot in time.

"The chorus instruments are tinny as hell." Scourge finally muttered.

"I've got an idea." Manic said, smiling now. "Can you trust me to drive you somewhere?"

Scourge at the passenger side rear view, and nodded. Manic slowly backed out of the car, and started a slow paced, easy drive through the city.

 _In my own mind's eye  
I am the sky  
So why should I be shy?_

Unbeknownst to Scourge, Manic was taking a detoured route through the city. As the horrible yet catchy 80s pop trash came to a close, Manic fiddled with the car radio until it reached his favorite late night channel, a shockingly unpopular pop channel that every night, shifted from the cheesy pop garbage Manic hates himself for enjoying to chill, atmospheric music. A bit of slow jazz and gentle soul here and there, but mostly downtempo dance music. He leaned back, and took Scourge on a scenic drive past some of his favorite sights in the city.

Past the natural history museum, built to contain a massive, powerful emerald fiercely protected by a single red echidna.

 _...Now she won't be happy till she looks down and sees the engagement ring..._

Past the Honey Clothing flagship store in the shopping district, a deep maroon building covered in huge lights and balconies that still managed to look elegant and not over-the-top.

 _...Do you understand, it's all in your head..._

Past the G.U.N. building, and the elegant plaza in front of it with a tall bronze statue of a young girl.

 _...We've been driving down this road since I was seventeen..._

Past Silver Lining Fortunes, a fortune telling shop with a large neon sign in the shape of a five petal lotus seen from the side.

 _...Now I search for the ground underneath my feet as the city burns..._

The long drive finally came to a close as Manic parked the car in front of his apartment building. Scourge was still deep in thought and clearly angry, but the drive had taken a lot of fury out of his system. Manic waited a bit after parking the car to leave. They sat and listened to the radio in cool, gentle silence.

 _...In a world full of darkness, I'll become your midnight sun..._

"Where are we?" Scourge eventually snapped out of his dazed thinking, and looked at the dingy building he was parked next to. A bland, brick exterior with many small windows and no defining features, other than overgrown ivy and a few broken, crumbling bricks.

"My apartment. Come on." Manic did his best to stay happy. He tossed the key back to Scourge, and started walking towards the door.

"Why did you drive me to your apartment?" Scourge tensed up.

"You need someone to talk to, right? Our place is nicer than that old motel, trust me. A nice place'll be good for you."

Scourge kept staring at the building as he hesitantly followed Manic. _A 'nice place' my ass..._ he thought.

The halls through the building didn't help with that impression. The hallways were filled with cheap, monotone carpets and the walls were bare brick. There was one elevator that wasn't in order, and a dingy back staircase that barely had any lights in working order. The few small windows sprinkled through the building didn't help. A mix of stuffy air and bare design made the building feel like everything was just very slightly off.

They made their way up to the third floor. Manic walked down to a room with a very small plaque reading _310_. He opened the door, and stood to the side, motioning for Scourge to enter first.

Scourge was pleasantly surprised with his apartment. The carpets in the actual room were a fine white that seemed much nicer than the hall carpeting. There was a small, generic kitchenette that was cleaned to a polish. The living room itself was filled with neutral cream, white, and very light, warm gold tones. The center of the room was taken up by a plush white sofa and a center table on a rich, golden carpet. A small hallway that lead into two small bedrooms and a bathroom.

"Sonia keeps it clean. Surprised?" Manic said.

Scourge was definitely surprised, but not at how clean the room was. He was more focused on the white drum set and stool that took up a good portion of the living room. It was clearly well used, but well taken care of.

"Come on," Manic said. He took Scourge's arm and tried to lead him further into the room, but Scourge stopped him.

"Kid, what are you doing?" Scourge clearly wasn't in the mood for hijinks.

"You know what the great thing about drumming is?" Manic asked. "It is the easiest way to get your anger out. It ain't like punching a pillow that's soft and stuff, drums are made to be solid and hit as hard as possible. You just gotta be careful with how you hold the sticks, but it's a great way to get out a looooot of crap at once."

Manic reached into his jacket, and pulled out the wooden drumsticks he'd used at the show. "I think you need something like that right now."

Manic offered the drumsticks to Scourge, who stared at them for a while. Scourge was acting calmer, but Manic could see anger burning him up. He grabbed the drumsticks, and stormed over to the drums.

"Yeah, man, go crazy."

Manic watched from a distance as Scourge let loose on the drums into a violent, graceless cacophony. Every swing was full force, every sound the loudest the drums could make. Scourge went from traditional drumming to a hunched over, cramped, animal beating in a minute. He stopped thinking about where he was, what was going on. All he could think of was hitting these things as hard as possible, as though some long-buried primal instinct had been dug up once again.

Manic sat by and watched for four, painful minutes, until Scourge's drumming finally began to slow down. He still tried to swing with full force, but he no longer had the energy. The pauses between strikes became longer and longer apart as his breathing grew heavier. He went in for one final strike of his horrible performance.

 _Crack_

The left drumstick his the medal edge of the snare at just the wrong angle, causing it to snap clean in half. The snap only took Scourge out of his concentrated state for a moment, but that was enough time for him to come to terms with his body. He had used up all his energy on his terrible performance.

"...I needed that."

Scourge stood up and fumbled over to the couch. He put his hand over his eyes, and started breathing heavy. Manic reclined on the other side of the couch, leaving plenty of room between him and Scourge.

"You wanna talk about it?"

Scourge finally spoke. "Sorry, kid." He put the intact drumstick on the cushion next to him.

"What, about the stick? Don't even worry about it, my man. They're like six bucks a piece."

"Not just about the drumstick!" Scourge would have normally sounded pissed off, but he was too tired to sound anything other than annoyed. "Every time I've talked to you, I've fucked up. I'm sorry, alright?!"

Manic waited before responding. "I mean... you held a gun to my head. If I'm gonna forgive you for that, it's gonna take a lot of time." He picked up his drumstick, and looked at it as he continued to speak.

"All the theft... Like, I can't really get around that, either, but I kind of get it. I have issues with stealing things too, but you gotta have more morals about it. Only take what people can afford to lose, only take what people won't miss too much, and don't hurt anyone. I mean, that's how I do it, anyways."

Scourge didn't fight back. Manic hadn't said anything Scourge didn't already know, but hearing it out of Manic's mouth made it resonate with him. He took everything better than he'd expected, but hearing him agree with everything he thought made every point hurt that much worse.

"That... Fiona's the girl we saw at the motel, right? She means a lot to you, doesn't she?"

"Yeah... Yeah, she does, punk." The anger had been replaced with regret. "This always happens. I screw her over, we get in a fight, and she bails." He looked at the window. "As much as she pisses me off, I still care about her. She only gets angry at me cause she cares, or something gay like that."

"That's cute."

Scourge glared at Manic, but it didn't sound like he thought it was funny or cruel to say.

"I mean, yeah, it's kind of toxic, but you still care about each other after all that, right? That's more than I can say about all my relationships."

Manic gave Scourge the same hollow smile he had before. Scourge tried to find the right words to say.

"I know I'm just a dumb kid with bad hair, and I know I can't really do anything for you, but if you wanna talk about anything, I'm always here, alright?"

"Don't say that shit."

Scourge looked pained saying that last sentence. Manic balked.

"Have some confidence in yourself, kid. You don't believe that, do you?"

Manic didn't try to laugh it off. He didn't smile, or defend himself. He looked deep into Scourge's eyes, and said nothing.

"Wanna know something, Manic? I've had to deal with that self-loathing shit for years, and look at me now. I ain't the ruler of the world, but I'm awesome. I've got good friends, a good life, and a good-ass body. If you talk shit on yourself and pretend you don't mean it, that ain't gonna get you anywhere. I love myself just fine, and I held you at gunpoint. You've got no reason to hate yourself like this."

They stared at one another.

"See a doctor. Get that crap taken care of." Scourge's anger was mixed with sadness. "I regret going through that garbage every day. I regret pretty much all the shit I do. Don't let it drag you down."

When he spoke about regretting everything, he instinctively covered his chest scars with his right hand.

"Kid, say something positive about yourself." Scourge said. He faced Manic. His normally bitter expression was tinged with sadness.

"I'm not completely screwed up yet."

"Say something serious!" Scourge yelled. Manic knew this wasn't out of anger, this was out of frustration.

He thought for a while, and eventually stumbled through the sentence, "My singing is pretty good."

"Pretty good nothing. It's fucking ace." Scourge smiled at Manic. "Don't forget it."

"I mean... I mean, it's hard for me to find good things to say about myself, you know? When you look like-"

"You're cute."

Manic was caught off-guard by this comment.

"I ain't joking. Look at you! You're healthy, you're kinda femme, you've got a good voice. You're a looker, kid."

"...But maybe I've just got a thing for green guys with good hair and sexy jackets." He laughed at himself.

Manic wasn't used to being complimented like this. His first instinct was to try and find a way to turn it into a self-depreciating joke, but he knew Scourge would hate that. So he kept thinking. "You're calling someone cute?"

Scourge didn't know how to respond.

"Doesn't seem like the kind of word you'd use a lot, y'know? I don't think you'd go around calling people 'crumpet' or something like that."

"Shut up." Scourge joked. "You know what I meant. Don't pull this crap on me." As much as he protested, he was grinning ear to ear.

"I'm not complaining." Manic said. "I'm just saying, I don't get why you're spending all this time on me. You've got plenty to love about yourself."

"Like what, kid?" He was anxious for his answer.

"Well, you're pretty hot, right? And you're probably the most moral car thief I've met."

Scourge laughed, but Manic didn't. He moved closed towards Scourge. "Maybe I'm biased. I might have a thing for green guys with good hair and sexy jackets."

Scourge laughed and held up his hand at the joke. "Well, if you gotta look at me to like yourself, I ain't gonna stop you."

Then he turned to face Manic. Manic's voided glare was gone. His emotionless grin was now a warm, gently smile, his honey eyes filled with warmth and vibrancy. The bright, beckoning colors hypnotized Scourge more than they did the first time he really looked at them. Scourge wasn't used to being looked at this way. With lust or longing or fury, sure, he could handle that. But with affection? Never.

"You think I'm joking?" Manic asked, quieter this time.

Scourge finally got the vernacular. He turned his body to face Manic, and got serious for once. "You don't flirt with guys much, do you?" He shifted his jacket, giving Manic a good view of his two deep, fresh scars. "Don't tease with guy's emotions. Touch the wrong guy... and he'll carve you up."

Manic, without hesitation, flashed his grin. Scourge looked at his horribly chipped front tooth.

"I know the risks. I really know 'em. I'm not going to just tease someone with that kind of risk."

Manic put his right hand on the collar of Scourge's leather jacket. His voice was very soft. "Looks good on you. Where'd you get it?"

Scourge's mind raced for the right thing to say. Manic's anxiety went into overdrive. But neither of them made a move to stop the other. Manic toyed with the inner edge of the collar. The edge of his index finger brushed his upper scar.

"These don't still hurt, do they?"

"Don't worry about 'em."

"That's good." Manic's put his fingertips on Scourge's bared chest. He was surprisingly warm.

Manic could feel Scourge's chest rise and fall as he breathed. Scourge moved closer towards Manic, and put his left hand on his shoulder. Manic took this as an invitation, and moved his hand beneath Scourge's jacket. As Manic stroked Scourge's side, he tilted his head up to look at the hedgehog.

Out of nowhere, Scourge put his other hand on Manic's shoulder, shoving him down onto the couch. In a moment, Manic was lying down, arms splayed to his sides and completely defenseless. Scourge hastily positioned himself, propping his arms to either side of Manic's body. In that brief moment, all anger, sadness and worry left his face. Manic's barely parted lips looked soft and welcoming.

"I'm not a safe person to get close to."

Scourge's words were blunt, but he was surprisingly quiet. He moved his face closer to Manic's. They were both lost in their partner's warm gazes; Neither of them dared look away from the other.

"You need someone who can treat you right. You need someone you could handle being with."

Closer. Scourge's right hand grabbed and pinned down his partner's left bicep. Manic put his right hand gently on Scourge's back.

"You couldn't handle my love."

Closer. The two hedgehogs were almost touching. Scourge could feel Manic's warm, anxious breaths dancing across his face. As much as Scourge talked Manic down, he didn't try to lay off. His normally anger-ridden eyes were filled with affection, his lips opened with longing. Manic used his right hand to explore Scourge's body, rubbing it's way through the small of his back, past the edges of his jacket, and finally stopped by wrapping his hand around Scourge's tail and tenderly toying with his body.

Manic almost pressed his lips against Scourges, and whispered;

"Wanna bet?"


	5. Epilogue

Sonia was always concerned about Manic's behavior. In those days following the night Manic bared his feelings to Scourge, Sonia noticed many changes in his behavior. He started fluctuating between periods of floaty, blithe excitement and periods of deep thought, but never when he thought someone was nearby. He left late at night when he thought Sonia was asleep, and would return at one or two in the morning. And much to her relief, Manic was trying to stop with his self depreciating humor.

But only a week after his emotional night with Scourge, he was gone. The drums were long gone, as well as a lot of his clothes and personal items. The only indication they weren't horribly robbed was a poorly handwritten note was left on the counter.

 _Sonia, I get you don't want me to live with you forever. Well, I found a guy! I'm not gonna mooch off of him either, promise! I'll pay the bills, too. But this guy's been helping me through a lot. I've got a long way to go, but I'm finally going somewhere. And guess what? He knows how to play bass guitar! I know you're only playing with me for support. Like, your songs are nice, but I know the band is weighing you down. You've got brains! You've got a good life going on! Why not put that to use? With Sonic's name by your side, y'all can do whatever you want!_

 _You know, I practiced this for a while, but I couldn't say it without choking up. Maybe it's not polite, but I don't know manners. I'll keep in touch, but right now, I'm doing a-ok. Take care!_

Sonia was petrified, and Sonic teared up. And rightfully so! There was no contact information, no follow up, they didn't know if anything had happened until a month after he left, when another handwritten note was slipped under Sonia's door. Was it Manic who left it? This new lover of his? No one knew. But it happened every month like clockwork. And every month, Sonic and Sonia would wait at Sonia's apartment.

"It's already been a year." Sonic was smiling, but sounded oddly serious. The two were sitting at a new coffee table, leafing through all of Manic's past letters. "You think he's finally gotten his quills trimmed?"

"Sonic!" Sonia gave him a good slap on the knee with the letter she was holding. "He is lovely and he can dress however he wants, even if it looks terrible."

Sonic looked at the pile of letters in front of him. "You think he's still healthy?"

Sonia patted her brother on the back. "I'm certain he's fine. He's healthy and he's happy. Even though we aren't privy to his life, that's the best we could wish for anyone."

They sat in silence for a bit, until Sonic flipped open a letter from a few months before. "When do you think we'll get a name for his guy?"

"Perhaps tonight. Perhaps in a year. It's up to him."

"Hey, while we're here," Sonic gave his sister a very smug glare, "When are we getting a name for your new girl?"

"Wh- How did you know I was dating?" If Sonia wasn't normally dark red, anyone would have been able to see how hard she was blushing.

"I know you, sis! I know when you've been feeling lonely, and this isn't just another friend!"

"No, how did you know I was-" She swallowed before continuing. "I was in a lesbian relationship?"

"An old friend of mine gave me an important lesson years ago." He leaned back, and waved one of his hands over his head as he spoke semi-dramatically. "Everyone is gay, including the robots and plants and Ken Penders."

"None of the three of us are strictly gay, Sonic." Sonia said bluntly. "I thought you were straight, you aren't even in the gay community!" Sonic responded by putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Everyone is gay, even if they absolutely aren't."

Before Sonia could respond to the utter nonsense Sonic has just pronounced, there was a knock at the door, unusually enough. "Special delivery for Sonia and Sonic," someone shouted. The tradition was for it to be slipped through quietly, and Sonic would respond by trying and failing to find whoever slipped it through. There was never any ceremony involved.

Sonic was already at the door, determined not to miss the sender this time. He threw the door open...

...Utterly shocking the blue hawk at the door. "Hey! Calm down!" He was clutching two letters instead of just one like he normally did.

"Our apologies." Sonia walked past Sonic. "I'm Sonia. Are these from Manic?"

The hawk grunted in response, and handed over the letters. "See ya." With no follow up or extra ceremony, the hawk rushed out of the building. Neither of them had an idea who the delivery man had been.

After closing the door, Sonia took a better look at the letters. One was the usual cheap, tattered envelope scrawled in Manic's handwriting. No return address. This time, _Open this one first_ was written in the corner, as well as a very crude, very bad drawing of what could potentially be a smiling face. The other was made of fairly nice paper, and was simply labeled with Sonia and Sonic's names. Strangely enough, it was written with amateur calligraphy. No, not stunning or award winning, but for something Manic gave, this was bizarrely elegant.

"You sure this is from Manic?" Sonic joked.

"How are these getting delivered without proper addresses?" Sonia asked. She cut the top of the beaten-up envelope with one of her fingers, and started reading.

 _Guys, you won't guess what's going on here. We're getting hitched! Maybe you wanted to meet him first, but we couldn't wait. This guy right here's got everything I want! We have jam sessions, we make each other feel better about our awesome bodies, and he's also green! It's like we were made for each other._ A crude face with a tongue sticking out was scribbled after this line.

 _I've kind of been putting it off, but I guess it's best you know. I know you like formal things, so I got this one art friend of mine to make an invitation for you. You can get all the info there. We're heading out... This is gonna be delivered on the twentieth, right? We're heading out that evening to get the rock, and I know what I want! It's at the end of next month, so get your beautiful butts ready!_

"Married." Sonia's skin turned pale. "I never thought... Congratulations, Manic," She said to the letter.

"Well, what's the name?" Sonic couldn't wait to tear open the envelope. Every word was written in amateur calligraphy, but to an untrained eye, it would be passable. Well, until they read the text undoubtedly composed by Manic. As Sonic spoke, his excitement left his body, gradually replaced by concern.

 _Beloved Sonia and Sonic, your bad selves have been invited to your brother's awesome as hell weddin' at eight PM on August 26th, in the best city of Moebius. We'll have some kinda nun preacher or something come in, and then we'll put on the BEST SHOW y'all've ever seen. So get your sweet butts in gear for the wedding of Manic the Hedgehog and Scourge the Hedgehog!_

"...Thank you, Kristoff. This is MCN reporter Jamie Lynn reporting to you live from the Casino Night Resort. The chaos emerald displayed in the resort entrance hall was stolen some time earlier this week. Officials say the exact time of the theft is unknown, as the thieves swapped the original emerald with a replica. The replica may have gone days without being noticed. We have G.U.N. agent Rouge here to tell us more. Rouge, thank you for joining us."

"My pleasure, Jamie."

"So, give us the scoop, Agent. Are there any leads on who the thief or thieves may have been?"

"Just call me Rouge. Yes, we do know that there were multiple thieves involved. Security measures were remotely deactivated while someone else took the emerald. G.U.N. is currently combing the hotel for clues, and you can be certain we'll have the emerald back in no time."

"Heh."

Scourge couldn't help but laugh. Manic and him were currently on the highway back to Moebius, four days after their little stop at the casino resort, listening to a local radio station. Scourge now wore a set of dog tags, engraved with a simple drum shape. Their drive back had been long, but fun. Not that they saw many sights, but the thrill of having a stolen chaos emerald with them was enough to keep the adrenaline pumping.

"So when are we gonna get caught?" Manic was teasing Scourge.

"You know how filthy a casino gets? They'll be lucky if they find it's stand under all that filth!"

"How much power do one of these babies have again?"

"If someone can use it right, they can do whatever they want. Hell if I know how it works, but there's enough power in one of those to level cities. Think you can handle all that?"

Manic leaned up against his partner, who took a hand off the steering wheel to grab Manic's shoulder.

"I can handle you, can't I?"

Scourge slid his arm down Manic's side. Scourge moaned as his hand went lower on his lover's body.

"Hey, not here!" Manic backed off, but he was laughing the whole time. "We're on the highway. You haven't chilled out all week!"

"Can't help it." Scourge draped his arm on Manic's shoulder. "Adrenaline and a babe like you gets a man going."

"You know," Manic started as he put his hand on Scourge's thigh, "when Sonia and Sonic find out we're getting hitched, they're gonna be pissed off."

"It's worth it."

"And if anyone finds out what we took for our 'ring', we'll be done for."

"As long as I get to stay with you, babe, I don't care what's on the line."

"Mmmmm." Manic nuzzled against Scourge's chest. "That's why I love you, baby."

Scourge looked Manic square in the eyes. "Stupid kids for life?"

"Stupid kids for life."


End file.
